rob – Nerdisthttp://nerdist.com
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:15:21 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 8/6/13http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-8613/
Wed, 07 Aug 2013 02:00:19 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=85271There wasn’t enough of Judd Apatow unexpectedly pranking Jay-Z during his special performance art show Picasso Baby, aside from it not supposed to be a whole comedy sketch anyway, so the short film didn’t make this week’s The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos. See the amazing videos that don’t have the luxury of joking around with Jay-Z that did make the list (FYI, they’re pretty great).

And in case you missed it, check out last week’s 5 MIFV.
Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV every week like the one featured above. Same rules still apply. I love finding new, hilarious videos from people hundreds and thousands of miles away, so please do send your videos so long as they follow the rules below.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 8/12)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between 8/6 and the end of Monday 8/12
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link

Before Bruce Wayne was Batman, he was… well, disinterested, mostly. But motivated by his parents’ will, which conveniently included a cave, he became… well… he had to try out some ideas, sing a few songs, work things out. And that’s the story told in this motion comic, Batman: Year Minus Two, by our friend and Conan writer Rob Kutner with art by Kody Chamberlain. If the voices sound familiar, that’s indeed Andy Richter as Bruce, and Brendan Coyle — Downton Abbey‘s Mr. Bates! — as Alfred.

From Saturday’s episode of The Nerdist, a couple of security guys from Comic-Con International: San Diego stop by to give some vital instructions on attending this year’s event. Actually, they’re Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel, so their advice might not be official.

Next week, look for Jack McBrayer from 30 Rock and Wreck-It Ralph, Eliza Dushku, and comic Joe Keckler on The Nerdist, Saturday at 10/9c on BBC America after new episodes of Doctor Who and Orphan Black.

Now that you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of The Nerdist on BBC America*, let’s look forward to next Saturday night, when you’ll see Joseph Gordon-Levitt looking dapper, Community‘s Gillian Jacobs being adorable, Jonah and Matt hosting another game and getting taken to a special spot in London by Arthur Darvill, and Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel being very funny. (I was at this particular taping, and it’s a good’un, no doubt about it.) Watch it next Saturday, 10/9c after new episodes of Doctor Who and Orphan Black on BBC America.

*Yes, I know, it’s not available in every country. Or maybe you DVR’d it. You know what I mean. And, yes, this week’s show will air Sunday, 7/6c/4p, on Space in Canada, as it does every week.

]]>http://nerdist.com/next-week-on-the-nerdist-joseph-gordon-levitt-and-gillian-jacobs/feed/1The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 4/2/13http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-4213/
http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-4213/#commentsWed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:44 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=71613If you’re reading this, that means you made it through April Fool’s Day alive. You never know if someone was going to pull a Final Destination-themed prank that somehow became real exactly like Final Destination. While that’s sinking in, you can ease yourself with The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week.

2. As part of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab’s Channel 101, here is a show where cats, due to overpopulation and specicide, have been put on a reservation, David Mikalson’s Cat Lands, perfect for the Internet.

4. Emily Heller makes her wonderful Conan stand-up debut (Yes, it was that funny that she made 5 MIFV two weeks in a row).

5. IFC has picked up a show from sketch group The Birthday Boys, Bob Odenkirk, and Ben Stiller. Here is the acceptance speech, with terms demanding full font and titles control.

Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV every week like ones featured in the past. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 4/8)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between 4/2 and the end of Monday 4/8
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, you know, assuming that you’ve seen Season 3, that SEMI-SPOILER ALERT there have been a few key, shall we say, reductions in force. This got our pal, Conan writer and Nerdist.com resident apocalypse expert Rob Kutner, to thinking about the show and the untimely deaths and, well, zombies ARE way popular these days, what with The Walking Dead and all, so…

Yes, it’s Downton Zombey, where the departed cast members aren’t totally departed. The illustrations are by Kody Chamberlain, the voices by a cast including Thomas Lennon, and the concept is purely “Why didn’t I think of that?!?” But Rob did and you didn’t.

The Clone Wars move to the bowling alley on the the Nerdist Channel’s Chris Hardwick’s All-Star Celebrity Bowling, as the cast and director of the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes on Team Nerdist in the battle to end all battles (well, not really, but it’s a battle nonetheless).

December rolls ahead. Football playoffs are around the corner, all the holiday video game releases are on store shelves, family is coming to town, TV shows have their special holiday episodes all ready… it truly is a magical time of year. And this week at the NerdMelt Showroom is no exception, with two chances to see Dan Harmon (at Harmontown and Friday Forty) and Conan’s writers swinging by to bring their books to life at Team Coco Presents Authoritatively Funny!

Saturday at 5:00 is Anomaly Table Read!

Anomaly is an epic science-fiction adventure created by Skip Brittenham and Brian Haberlin, with art by Haberlin and Geirrod Van Dyke. Come celebrate the Los Angeles launch of Anomaly with its creators and an all-star cast reading from this exciting and ground-breaking graphic novel.

If you like movie riffing DIY-style, then join us for this MST3K/Rifftrax style show that invites YOU to help make fun of the worst movies ever. Come up with the best one-liner of the night and you could win a prize! Your hosts John Mathot (Phineas & Ferb) and Susan Wright (The Because Show podcast), along with the hilarious improv team Capitol T, will present a most horrible feature! So come on down to see a movie from the naughty list!

Matt Mira of the Nerdist Podcast and Paul Cibis host this comedy free-for-all. You’ll see brand new comics, comics you know and love trying out new material (Chris Hardwick and Kumail Nanjiani are frequent drop ins), and the magic that is live comedy. Sign up at 7pm, lottery at 7:30!

What is Harmontown? It’s awesome. It’s unique. It’s one of a kind. It’s something only Dan Harmon (creator of Community and the upcoming Rick and Morty) and Jeff B. Davis (Whose Line is it Anyway) can do. It’s a different show every time and it’s every week. Lucky us! Playing Dungeons and Dragons? It’s happened. Dan Harmon freestyle rapping? Yup, that too. Calling Chevy Chase from stage? Happened…more than once. A celebrity guest? Allison Brie, Donald Glover, and Gillian Jacobs among others have all stopped in. Getting super personal with an intimate audience? Always. It’s Harmontown. It’s awesome. It’s unique. Don’t miss a single week.

The weekly popular standup show, hosted by Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani, hosts the best standups in the country as well as amazing acts you haven’t heard of quite yet but should! Plus there’s original art each week, surprise drop-ins, and sometimes a puppy!

This show is more than a show. It’s your show. Join Matt Bennett (Victorious, The Virginity Hit), Matt Bennett’s friends, and even some special guests, for an hour of music, comedy, interviews, and general Matt Bennett-ness.

Come join writers from Conan O’Brien’s late night talk show and Team Coco for performances and live readings of their very own hilarious published work. Stick around afterward to cross the books from Jose Arroyo (Seething With Joy), Laurie Kilmartin (Sh*tty Mom), Todd Levin (Our Bodies, Our Junk), Sarah Thyre (Dark At The Roots), & Rob Kutner (The Future According to Me) off of your holiday shopping list.

Scott Gimple and Dave Holmes host this current-affairs sketch-comedy quiz show where the performers get a little liquid courage to help them answer 40 questions about the events of the last 7 days! This week’s show features very special guest Community creator Dan Harmon!

Thank you all so much for your continued support of the showroom. Follow us on Twitter and track us on our blog for more info about any of these shows!

]]>Update: “It’s OK To Do Stuff” Now On iTuneshttp://nerdist.com/update-its-ok-to-do-stuff-now-on-itunes/
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:00:34 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=61203We told you last week about It’s OK To Do Stuff, Conan writer (and Nerdist official apocalyptan) Rob Kutner and the Levinson Brothers’ all-star parody album/homage to the classic of ’70s children’s “good for you” media, Marlo Thomas’ Free to Be… You and Me. And we told you then that you could get the album from the label website but would also be able to get it from iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

Well, we weren’t lying, but it took a little longer to get it through all the proper channels. No matter, it’s now available, and Rob let us know today that it’s on iTunes and you can go and get it there now. So click here and buy it at iTunes. The album’s there for $3.99 and you get funny songs featuring folks like Fred Willard, Eddie Pepitone, Lizzy Caplan, Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies), Colin Hanks, Megan Amram, Andy Richter… yeah, you want it, especially if you grew up with the free range, gender-neutral, grass-fed original. And the proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, so you’ll do good AND get some laughs in the bargain. It’s nice to be nice.

]]>“It’s OK To Do Stuff”: A “Free To Be… You And Me” For Todayhttp://nerdist.com/its-ok-to-do-stuff-a-free-to-be-you-and-me-for-today/
http://nerdist.com/its-ok-to-do-stuff-a-free-to-be-you-and-me-for-today/#commentsTue, 20 Nov 2012 01:00:33 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=60373

The Album, which you should buy

It’s been 40 years since Marlo Thomas — That Girl! — revolutionized children’s books and records by pouring a big helping of sixties touchy-feely into the pot and coming up with Free to Be… You and Me. Perhaps you recall it, especially if your parents were of a certain ’60s-’70s progressive mind set (read: aging hippies). Our friend, Conan and The Daily Show writer and professional apocalyptan Rob Kutner, remembers, and he’s co-created and produced (with Stephen Levinson and Joel Moss Levinson) a tribute album through Rooftop Comedy… okay, it’s a parody, called It’s OK to Do Stuff. Where the original had people like a very young Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Alan Alda, and Carol Channing (Carol Channing?), the Kutnerized album features appearances by Lizzy Caplan, Eddie Pepitone, Andy Richter, Fred Willard, Megan Amram, Fred Stoller, Samantha Bee, Eugene Mirman, Colin Hanks, Kimmy Gatewood, James Urbaniak, Jane Wiedlin, Wyatt Cenac, Aaron Bleyaert, and former Barenaked Ladies front man Steven Page, which means it’s going to be a lot more intentionally funny than Marlo’s thing. (Although hers had pending Nerdist Podcast guest and incomparable comedy legend Mel Brooks, too, with his “2000 Year Old Man” straight man Carl Reiner co-writing “Boy Meets Girl,” so there was some comedy pedigree in that one, too)

Lizzy Caplan!

If you recall the original, it had Rosey Grier, the former Los Angeles Rams “Fearsome Foursome” bruiser, singing “It’s All Right to Cry” and a story about a boy who wants a doll. It’s OK To Do Stuff has similar themes, like

in the songs “Divorce Makes A Family Twice As Big”, “Swallow Your Dreams,” and “Everyone’s Equally.” If the irreverence towards what some consider a childhood classic makes you a little uncomfortable, proceeds from the new album will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, so you’re doing good by buying it, too.

Fred Willard!

Rob helpfully sent along a press release in which he’s quoted as saying, “Growing up with irreverent, forward-looking parents, Free To Be… You And Me quickly became part of my DNA. As with all things that enter my DNA, it was only a matter of time before the mutations took over. It’s OK To Do Stuff is the result. I hope you enjoy it — and notify the CDC.”

The album gets released Tuesday (November 20th) through all the usual downloady places like iTunes and Amazon and Google Play, and also through RooftopComedy.com, which has it for preorder by clicking here. (There are a couple of preview clips there as well, and their download is offered in your choice of several file options). It will also be available to stream on Pandora, Spotify, and Last.fm, among others. The thing’s five bucks for nine tracks, so go buy it, help out St. Jude’s, and laugh.

]]>http://nerdist.com/its-ok-to-do-stuff-a-free-to-be-you-and-me-for-today/feed/412 Hours Of “Never Not Funny”: The 2012 Pardcast-a-Thon Is Fridayhttp://nerdist.com/12-hours-of-never-not-funny-the-2012-pardcast-a-thon-is-friday/
http://nerdist.com/12-hours-of-never-not-funny-the-2012-pardcast-a-thon-is-friday/#commentsMon, 19 Nov 2012 17:50:43 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=60348Oh, sure, there might be some great deals on Black Friday, but there’s something else way more important happening that day. Friday, November 23rd is the date for the 4th annual Never Not Funny Pardcast-a-Thon, in which the Nerdist Channel’s own Jimmy Pardo and his podcast partners Matt Belknap and Pat Francis, along with an all-star parade of guests, raise money for Smile Train, the charity that helps provide children with cleft palates and cleft lips the surgery they need for free. It’s 12 straight hours of funny for a good cause.

This year’s guest lineup will include Jon Hamm, Sarah Silverman, Rob Corddry, Scott Aukerman, and many more to be announced. It’s going to be great, and you can watch it live noon to midnight on Friday (Pacific time) at pardcast.com. There’s more information here, including a link for donations, which will help some of the over one million children in the world who need cleft palate and lip surgery and can’t afford it.

Listen, laugh, give. That’s a nicer way to spend Black Friday than fighting the crowds at the sales.

Hey, the Nerdist podcast network’s very own T.J. Miller of Cashing In with T.J. Miller infamy has a comedy album coming out next week, you know. Might want to jump on that one.

It’s called Mash Up AudioFile and it’s a companion piece to T.J.’s Mash Up TV show, of which we’ve written before. The album, on Comedy Central Records, features a 45-minute standup set and bonus music/comedy mashups from Steinski and Jesse Case.

From the label’s press release:

The digital album features comedian T.J. Miller talking about various types of laughs, bad travel etiquette, and myths about nitrous oxide. He’s also not afraid to get a little weird, comparing his genitals to a soufflé or exploring what it’s like to be so drunk that you’d pretend to be a pigeon to get bread. Miller also introduces characters such as “a demon defending his Netflix queue,” among others

So there’s that.

And while we’re at it, at the same time on the same label, Rob Delaney’s Live at the Bowery Ballroom will be released, featuring an hour of comedy in the audio version of the video special previously released on Rob’s website. You might want that, too.

Both albums come out as digital downloads on Tuesday, November 13th. T.J.’s album will be available from Amazon by clicking here — it’ll be on iTunes but there’s no link yet — and Rob’s album will be available from Amazon and iTunes.

]]>http://nerdist.com/t-j-miller-has-an-album/feed/2The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 10/2http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-102/
Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:04:32 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=56158You’re probably laughing at your discovery of Japan’s beauty trend of forehead bagels (literally a saline injection in the forehead to form a bagel). If you had no idea that was a real thing, I’ll let it sink in for you. After that, let’s get back to real “meant to be funny” comedy with this week’s 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos, featuring a terrible recollection of the “first time” and several ads in one for trade schools. It’s just as weird perhaps, but it was meant to be funny.

2. Micah Sherman and Myq Kaplan in part to promote their newly released musical comedy album “Please Be Seated”, attempted to make a really catchy radio friendly hit with Bop 25.

3. Submitted: Web series Normal with Jesse Case and Courtney Kocak revisits the first time they had sexual relations, which is probably what they ended up calling it because it was nothing close to a great experience.

4. As part of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab’s always awesome Channel 101, Kyle Reiter’s abtract and endearing Gumbel is one of its best shows, as showcased by the latest episode.

Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV just like the one featured above. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 10/8)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between now 10/2 and the end of Monday 10/8
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

]]>Nerdist News Meets The New TMNT Voice Casthttp://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-meets-the-new-tmnt-voice-cast/
Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:31:28 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=55670The rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series premieres on Nickelodeon in the U;S. this weekend, and Nerdist News’ Brian Walton got a chance to talk to the voice cast about the show. Included: Sean Astin, Jason Biggs, Greg Cipes, Rob Paulsen (who did the voice of Raphael in the ’87 version and is doing Donatello this time around), Mae Whitman, and Kevin Michael Richardson. And stick around to the end for what Brian calls “a very special message from Rob Paulsen and Jason Biggs.”

How did the Nerdist Channel pull off the Fragglelicious Ben Folds Five video for “Do It Anyway,” anyway? This behind-the-scenes video tells the story, with Chris and the folks at Henson looking to do something for Fraggle Rock‘s 30th anniversary, and serendipity taking it the rest of the way. Hear from Chris, Ben, Red Fraggle, and more as they describe how the video came to be.

We have an exclusive at the Nerdist Channel today, a HUGE one, and here it is, the world premiere of the new Ben Folds Five video for “Do It Anyway,” the first video from their upcoming album “The Sound of the Life of the Mind.” It has the following:

Ben Folds Five, together again for the first time in 13 years.

Fraggles. FRAGGLES!!!

Anna Kendrick, blowing bubbles.

Rob Corddry, emoting at the mixing board.

Chris Hardwick in the role of a lifetime, with a tattoo.

Every video would have Fraggles if they could, but they can’t. And this one can. And does. Lots of Fraggles. FRAGGLES!!! Plus, when the song is over, there’s a little extra sing-along, so don’t click away too fast.

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 17, 2012: Groundbreaking alternative rock innovators Ben Folds Five have reunited and on September 17th, the Nerdist Channel (youtube.com/nerdist) will exclusively premiere the video for “Do It Anyway,” the first track from the band’s much anticipated album The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind (ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music) due out September 18th. A production of Nerdist Industries, the video features the Fraggles, stars of The Jim Henson Company’s perennial fan-favorite “Fraggle Rock.” Ben Folds, along with returning band mates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee, are joined by Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red and Uncle Traveling Matt. Also making cameo appearances are Academy Award-nominated actress Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), comedian Rob Corddry (“Children’s Hospital”) and Nerdist Industries’ Founder and Chief Creative Officer Chris Hardwick.

Hardwick describes how this cluster of awesomeness happened: “In a meeting with Lisa [Henson, CEO, The Jim Henson Company], she casually said, ‘Next year is the 30th anniversary of ‘Fraggle Rock.’ Would you want to do anything with the Fraggles?’ ‘WHAT THE [expletive]?? That’s an OPTION?!’ I loudly replied. I think I scared her a little. I knew Ben had a new album releasing in September so I threw his name out. Lisa said ‘that would be amazing’ without hesitation. It was beautifully serendipitous. It seemed like a no-brainer to me, but I still cautiously pitched it to Ben, not really knowing his relationship with the show. I think I just spit words out, ‘YOU. VIDEO. FRAGGLES. ME PAY FOR!’”

Folds was VERY interested, it turns out, and had the perfect song in mind. “When Ben sent me ‘Do it Anyway,’ I knew within the first five seconds that the song was perfect—the bouncy piano… the dancing bass …it actually sounded like it was intentionally written for the Fraggles. I can never fully express the amount of nerdy joy that I felt on set seeing Red Fraggle jump around on Ben’s piano,” said Hardwick. “And the fact that I was able to weasel my way into the video was a dream come true.”

Formed in 1993, Ben Folds Five changed the course of indie rock in the mid-1990s before amicably parting ways in 2000 to pursue different artistic ventures. Now, after twelve years, the indie pop trio has returned to bring their unique pop sensibility to both Fraggle Rock and the Nerdist Channel.

Red Fraggle said, “We had a great adventure in Outer Space! Ben, Robert and Darren love music as much as Fraggles do, so we had lots of fun. It would be wonderful to have them come play more music in the caves with us, but I am not sure they can fit through the hole in the floor!”

]]>http://nerdist.com/exclusive-ben-folds-five-and-the-fraggles-sing-do-it-anyway/feed/27See “Pop My Culture” or “You Made It Weird” Live In L.A. 9/23http://nerdist.com/see-pop-my-culture-or-you-made-it-weird-live-in-l-a-923/
Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:00:14 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=54738You’ve heard about the Riot LA alternative comedy festival coming up September 21st through 23rd here in L.A. from the Nerdist Podcast episode with the Comedy Mutant lineup, but it should be noted that two of our own Nerdist podcast network shows are going to be appearing there live, and you can go see them. And you’ll want to do them, only they’re both scheduled for the same time, Sunday, September 23rd at 5 pm, so you might have to split yourself in two. You can do that, right?

How about this: Pop My Culture wil be live at the Five Stars Bar in downtown L.A., and for this special live edition, Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland will be joined by an epic guest panel of voice talent: Rob Paulsen, Tara Strong, Maurice Lamarche, and Cree Summer. Regular Nerdist readers and podcast listeners who’ll be around should be clicking the ticket link already, because this will be all kinds of awesome. And tickets are five bucks. Five bucks for that lineup is a steal. Click here to buy tickets, because you know that hearing four of the most prolific and talented voice actors in the business banter about pop culture with Cole and Vanessa live in an intimate venue is worth WAY more than five bucks. UPDATE: Add Phil Lamarr to the lineup! Are you KIDDING me? HOW CAN YOU NOT GO?

At the same time, one Mr. Pete Holmes will be performing his celebrated parlor tricks in a live version of You Made it Weird, also on September 23rd at 5 pm. He’ll be at the Downtown Independent Theater keeping it crispy, and you can be there to crisp it up with him. Tickets are $20, and you can get them by clicking here. Pete is always a hot ticket, so you’ll want to get a move on and buy tickets now before it’s too late.

By the way, the two venues are practically right on top of each other — maybe a couple of minutes walk — so there’s that. And the festival is selling passes for $60 and $80 for the whole weekend of shows; click here for that. Some of the folks you’ve heard on Nerdist network podcasts are appearing at the many shows on the bill, and some of our hosts are appearing, too, like Kumail Nanjiani at “The Best of Riot LA,” “The Grawlix,” and “KCRW Presents… Storytime for Grown-Ups,” Todd Glass at “The Best of Riot LA,” and Brent Weinbach at “Imaginary Radio Program” and “The Best of Riot LA,” plus Pete at the Comedy Mutant show at Club Nokia on September 21st.

So go. And stay tuned for some more network podcast L.A. live appearance information coming up….

]]>The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 8/28http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-828/
Wed, 29 Aug 2012 01:00:36 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=53451Unfortunately, over the last week, it’s hard to beat the hilarity of an unqualified woman trying to fix a precious fresco of Jesus Christ and then screwing it up royally. I’m going to try to do that with this week’s 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week, but if none of these videos are as funny as Jesus’ face being transformed into an impressionist monkey face, I sincerely apologize.

5. A highly anticipated comedy feature about high stakes butter sculpture contests, Butter, starring Ty Burrell, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, and more came out with its first trailer.

Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 9/3)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between now 8/28 and the end of Monday 9/3
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

]]>Seeking Patton Oswalt & Rob Corddry For The “End Of The World”http://nerdist.com/seeking-patton-oswalt-rob-corddry-for-the-end-of-the-world/
Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:09:48 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=48762Patton Oswalt and Rob Corddry are in the new movie Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and Nerdist News’ Brian Walton talked to them about their roles in the film and what would be on their bucket lists if it really WAS the end of the world. They are also very plaid.

]]>EXCLUSIVE: John Hodgman Reads the Prologue to Rob Reid’s “Year Zero”http://nerdist.com/exclusive-john-hodgman-reads-the-prologue-to-rob-reids-year-one/
http://nerdist.com/exclusive-john-hodgman-reads-the-prologue-to-rob-reids-year-one/#commentsTue, 19 Jun 2012 14:00:01 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=48296What if aliens listened to pirated American music? And what if American music industry lawyers went after them to collect royalties and fines? And what if said aliens reacted by trying to destroy Earth? And what if it came down to one lowly entertainment lawyer to save the Earth (and save the aliens a lot of money)?

That, in a nutshell, is the plot of Rob Reid‘s new novel Year Zero, coming out July 10th from Del Rey. Here’s an animated trailer that explains it all:

Rob Reid, in case you don’t recognize the name, is a pretty major name in the tech world, not just as a writer but as the founder of what became Rhapsody and the guy who gave a very popular TED Talk earlier this year, “The $8 Billion iPod,” which explained the, um, interesting “Copyright Math” behind the royalty debate:

So he knows whereof he speaks, he’s also very funny, you’ll want to read this thing as soon as it comes out, and you can pre-order it by clicking here. But that’s not all, not by a longshot, for Nerdist.com is privileged to have a World Exclusive for you right here, right now, the prologue of the book, “Chapter Zero,” read by none other than John Hodgman. John Hodgman! Exclusive! Right here!:

That. Is. Great. Buy the book here. You might do it while listening to 70’s TV themes and “Boogie Oogie Oogie.”

]]>http://nerdist.com/exclusive-john-hodgman-reads-the-prologue-to-rob-reids-year-one/feed/2My 5 Funniest People on Twitterhttp://nerdist.com/my-5-funniest-people-on-twitter/
http://nerdist.com/my-5-funniest-people-on-twitter/#commentsThu, 31 May 2012 19:00:13 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=46758A couple of weeks ago, I posted My 5 Favorite Tumblr Blogs, so I thought it was only natural to list my Top 5 Twitter folks. Since I am known for being in the funny category, those are the people’s feeds I like to read. Don’t ask me who has the best tech or sports profiles, but I can certainly tell you who is the best when it comes to being funny. A few names you may know, but most you won’t. I keep it indie like that.

You might remember him from back in the day as the host of MTV’s Total Request Live. Who knew there was a comedic genius hiding underneath his gentle, post-adolescent charm? He also writes for Some eCards and his tweets are consistently funny.

Caprice is one of the more well-known funny Twitter ladies, but to me she has the best female Twitter feed because she only uses her razor sharp wit; She never relies on cursing or blatant sexuality to get a laugh. Her brain wins over any kind of comedy crutch.

Braden is the mind behind the hilarious Hipster Mermaid meme. However, his comedic talents extend beyond ironic mermaids. Braden’s tweets are delightfully neurotic and he never seems to run out of great material.

If you aren’t following all of the above people, you should do so right now. And if that’s not enough new feeds, you can always follow me on Twitter too.

Here’s Billy West, Tara Strong, Maurice LaMarche, John DiMaggio, Kevin Conroy, Jess Harnell and Rob Paulsen reading the Star Wars Trilogy as a radio play at Emerald City Comic Con this year, using their own character voices. Pinky the Stormtrooper! Shatner C-3PO with R2-D2 Walken! Really, what else can anyone add to that? Can we suspend the moratorium on the use of the word awesome so we can call this awesome, which it is?

You’ll need to clear out an hour to watch it all. You’ll want to.

HT: Brian Walton at Nerdist News, who alerted me to this and made me ask myself “HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?”